UW punter Mahan out for season with ACL injury

University of Washington punter Will Mahan has torn his ACL and MCL on his non-kicking leg and will have season-ending surgery within the next two weeks.

Mahan suffered the injuries at the end of practice earlier in the week. Head coach Steve Sarkisian said the injury happened on the final punt of practice.

“It’s unfortunate,” Sarkisian said of the injury. “It was a routine drill, it’s a drill we do everyday and it was actually the last punt of the day for him. It’s kind of a freak accident.”

Mahan, a senior, has started for the Huskies since transferring from Bakersfield Community College prior to the 2009 season. The Huskies will seek a medical redshirt classification for Mahan in order to get him another year of eligibility.

“We’re going to do all the work that we can to get that accomplished,” Sarkisian said. “The kid deserves it, so we’re working on that already.”

With Mahan out, junior Kiel Rasp will assume the starting role. Rasp, a local product from Nathan Hale High School, has never played in a game for the Huskies, but Sarkisian was upbeat about his potential.

“He’s got a great leg and he’s been terrific all training camp,” Sarkisian said of Rasp. “The key is just to go in a game and catch the ball on a punt which he hasn’t ever had to do, but sooner or later we all have to go out there and experience it and go do it and he’s given us all of the confidence that he can do that.”

Rasp was not even with the team just a few weeks ago. After his sophomore season, Rasp decided to leave the team and missed spring practices and the start of training camp. But Sarkisian and his staff needed a backup for Mahan and convinced Rasp to come back to the team.

Sarkisian said there other options for the punter position in case something happens to Rasp, but would not elaborate, only saying it was not one of the place kickers, Erik Folk or Eric Guttorp.